LAKE SKINNER ---- In the Temecula Valley, summer doesn't start
until the wine flows and the hot air balloons glow at the area's
biggest outdoor festival.

Next weekend, the 28th annual Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine
Festival kicks off, starting 2 1/2 days of wine tasting, hot air
balloon glows and launches, vendor shopping and live music and
entertainment on two stages.

"We are very excited (for this year's festival)," said festival
executive director Carol Popejoy Davis. "It is a great concert
experience, with the wine tastings and events, all for a great low
price."

On Friday night, the festival will attempt to break a world
record at the Balloon Glow. Held both Friday and Saturday nights
around 8 p.m. (after dusk), the glow is one of the most popular
entertainment options of the festival. During the glow, up to 12
hot air balloons remain on the ground as pilots simultaneously
ignite their burners. This causes the iridescent shimmer of the
colorful canopies against the evening sky. By timing the burns to
the beat of music, the balloons appear to dance in rhythm.

During Friday's glow, spectators at the Main Stage will get glow
sticks provided by Riverside County Parks and Waste Management and
then will be arranged in the shape of a hot air balloon.

The spectacle will be held between concert performances by
Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx and Ambrosia on the Main Stage.
DeYoung and his six-member band will showcase hit songs "Lady,"
"Babe," "Come Sail Away," "Too Much Time on My Hands," and "Rockin'
the Paradise." Ambrosia will perform hits such as "Holdin' on to
Yesterday" and "Nice, Nice, Very Nice." Intercept will get the
music started at 5:30 p.m.

Wine-tasting hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 5. Wine tasting is an
additional charge, and you may purchase six (1-ounce) tastes and a
souvenir glass for $15. Individual beverage tickets are $2. New
this year is a special Reserve Tasting package featuring six
tastings (2 ounces), a reserve glass and tastings of the top wines
for $25.

"We wanted to see how this goes," Popejoy Davis said. "It is
definitely for the wine aficionados."

Early risers can get started Saturday morning (also June 5),
with gates opening at 6 a.m. for the hot air balloon launches.
Balloon rides must be reserved in advance by contacting
800-965-2122 and are subject to cancellation because of high winds
or poor weather conditions.